Memories
by DI-Bolly-Keks
Summary: An old face shows up at CID, but Gene and the team have mixed reactions. Gene/Alex & Gene/OC.
1. Chapter 1

**My first fic - this chapter seems to go on for a while without getting to the point, but hopefully it'll get round to the story in Chapter 2. **

**Enjoy..**

Chapter 1.

The door slammed. Alex took a deep breath, and stormed into the kitchen; yet another argument between her and Gene. She flicked the kettle on, sat down at the table and ran her hands through her hair. The day had only just begun, and already, Gene and Alex were at each others throats. For the past few months, her and Gene had been getting along well, and she was finally beginning to trust him. He was the only person she had in this world, and as she didn't know how long she would remain here, now was not the time to lose him. A loud bang brought Alex away from her thoughts and back into reality; no doubt Gene was taking his anger out on another unsuspecting filing cabinet or cupboard. Hesitantly, she got up and approached the office, unwilling to enter. Turnng round, she noticed shocked expressions on both Chris and Ray's faces – they knew something.

"What was all that about?"

"The Guv got a bit of news, something he wasn't too happy about," Ray said.

"Well do you know what it was?"

Chris and Ray exchanged glances, but they both knew that they couldn't escape the prying eyes of DI Drake. Chris spoke up first; "It's about the new DS. He's met them before, that's all."

"Yeah, back in Manchester. Just an old face that he didn't expect to see again."

Alex gave an exasperated sigh – did they think she was stupid?! Giving them an angry stare she went straight into Gene's office to see what really was bothering him.

"What do you want?" Gene mumbled as Alex closed the door behind her.

"What's happened? I am a trained psychologist you know.." Before Alex could say anymore Gene cut her off.

"Nothing to do with you Bolls, so I suggest you go back and make yourself useful somewhere else." Alex wasn't about to leave in a hurry – however much she may not admit it she didn't like seeing Gene in moods like this.

"Well what did Viv have to say to you?" With that, Gene lifted his head from his tumbler of Scotch and within his eyes Alex could see that there was something he wasn't telling her. "Was he telling you about the new Detective Sergeant?"

He gave a reproachful look before opening his mouth. "Yes he was, actually." He said no more, knowing that before long Alex would find out what she wanted for herself. Recognising that Gene was not willing to tell her any more, she stormed out of his office to go and talk to Viv. Gene never lifted his head once.

--

Viv was nowhere to be seen, so vowing to talk to him later or tomorrow, Alex grabbed her jacket and walked straight out of the station to take an early lunch-break at Luigi's. Luigi greeted Alex with a warm smile. "Signorina Drake, what brings you here so early?"

"Just..just get me a drink Luigi. I just need to get away from the station for a while, and away from them idiots that they call senior officers." However, after the warm welcome from Luigi Alex couldn't help but muster a smile, and a small giggle at her life here in the 1980s. "Cheers," she said to Luigi, her mood brightening away from the stuffy atmosphere of CID. "You know, Luigi, I'm glad to have you here – it's nice to have a friend in this world, someone that doesn't cause complications. I've had it up to here with them at CID; but I should imagine it won't be long until I get home.. will it?"

"I don't know Signorina, only you can answer that."

"But can I?.. Maybe I'm the only person that can't answer that.."

Recognising that familiar, dazed expression he turned away to see to another customer.

--

Meanwhile, CID was unusually quiet. After the news that morning, Chris and Ray knew better than to interrupt the Guv, and Shaz had soon picked up on the fact that Gene wasn't best pleased. He hadn't moved from his office, drinking glass after glass of Scotch and smoking one cigarette after another. Occassionally he would start to doodle, before scrunching each piece of paper into a tight ball and throwing it carelessly against the wall. Other members of CID couldn't help but notice the tense atmosphere in the room, and so busied themselves with small, mundane tasks – mainly paperwork that hadn't been completed in months. Gene watched everything from his seat, but didn't entirely focus on what was going on – he was lost in his own thoughts, dredging up memories that hadn't stirred for over 2 or 3 years now..

--

"It's for you, DI Drake."

"Thanks Luigi," Alex replied, taking the phone from Luigi. She paused before answering, knowing all too well what she would receive from the other end.

"Drake, what the bloody hell are you doing?"

"I'm on my lunch break. Is there a problem?"

"Don't you have work to be doing?"

"No, not really. I'm obviously not that important around here, seeing as no-one felt that I had a right to know about our new colleague."

"Yeah, well, about that.." Even down the phone line, Alex could sense how Gene's demeanour had changed. She listened intently, hoping that he had something more to tell her. "Erm, are you gonna come back to the station then?"

"I suppose I should. I'll be over soon." With a sigh she handed the phone back to Luigi, knowing that there was something Gene was holding back; something that Gene didn't want to tell her.

--

Gene looked up as Alex walked into the room, taking in every inch of her body. As his eyes moved upwards, he followed the long length of her legs up to her hips, where he traced the beautifully sculpted contours of her shape – her perfectly shaped breasts, to her slender neck and the pure beauty of her features: Her lips, which he studied each time he spoke to her; her almond eyes which could distract him within a second; her curls which he ached to run his hands through.. Gene broke his train of thought just before Alex opened the door.

"Oh what a nice surprise. Nice to see you today DI Drake – hope you've had a nice long break, whilst we've been working." He gave a sarcastic smile, at which Alex rolled her eyes. "Anybody could see that nothing whatsoever has happened around here," waving her arm at the rest of CID to prove her point further. Knowing she was right, Gene ignored her and carried on. "So what do you want?"

"Well it was you that wanted me back at the station, I thought you might have something for me to do."

"Hmm. Not really. I'm sure you can find a way to make yourself useful though."

"Gene.." Alex hesitated, unsure as to whether to bring up the events of this morning again – he seemed to have mellowed slightly but she still could tell that something was troubling him. She continued regardless. "The new Sergeant.. you've met them before..?"

"Like I said, I'm sure you can find something to do." Hurt by the fact that he didn't want to tell her, Alex turned out of the office without a backward glance before Gene could see the effect he had had on her.

--

"See you tomorrow Ma'am."

"Yeah, see y…Viv! You don't happen to know anything about the new Detective Sergeant do you?"

"Erm, not really Ma'am. Her name's Eve Green, getting transferred here from a local division but apart from that I can't really tell you anything I'm afraid. Sorry."

"No, no, that's fine Viv. That's good.. thank you. See you tomorrow." She gave him a gracious smile and headed to the flat, all the while trying to fit it all together.


	2. Chapter 2

**Sorry this one's been a while - I've had exams, homework etc. but now I've got the chance to start writing again. **

**Enjoy (hopefully) .. **

Chapter 2.

Alex strode into Luigi's, her attention turning straight to the small corner table; Gene's usual place. A small smile graced her lips as the familiar sight of Gene, cigarette in hand and glass of Scotch in front of him greeted her, along with her empty wine glass sat at the other place. She knew that if she were to ever get home, this would be one image that would stick with her, each day and night, reminding her of what she had lost. In a way it was a small sacrifice to make for seeing her daughter again, but she felt a small lurch in her stomach whenever she thought of being away from him. Until now she had managed to keep her feelings under control, but for how much longer she could do this she was unsure.

Alex had not noticed her wine being poured on her way over – however she gratefully accepted the offer and sat down. Gene hadn't said anything, so taking the chance to talk whilst she could, she tried to find out what she could from him.

"Who's Eve, Gene?" With the mention of her, Gene quickly glanced up. Even in the split second that Alex had seen his eyes, she knew that whatever may have happened was still bothering him. Alex didn't give up – she gave him an inquiring look and a slight smile to encourage him further.

"Eve was a Detective Sergeant back in Manchester. She joined GMP in 1975 as a DC, but she was better than that. She got promoted to DS not long after. She was with us for the whole time until me, Chris and Ray came down here. She stayed; she didn't want to come with us. I can't blame her – I wouldn't have wanted to come if I was her."

"And she's coming down here now?"

"Yeah. In about another week probably."

"Well it'll be nice to have another female member of the team. It can get pretty frustrating working with you lot sometimes." She smiled, meaning it lightheartedly, but Gene didn't look any happier. Concerned, she asked, "Is there something else you should tell me, Gene?"

"Not right now." With that, the conversation about Eve drew to a close and both of them drank their drinks in silence. Over the course of the evening, they discussed small topics about CID, but Gene wasn't completely involved and Alex had an idea why. However, as much as she might have wanted to, Alex could never fully work Gene out and she was still puzzled as to why Eve was such a big problem to him. For the rest of the night each of them lay quiet in their own thoughts, until later, Alex retired back to her flat leaving Gene alone with only his glass of Scotch for company. Alex hesitated at the door first, unsure as to whether to invite Gene up too – it wasn't the first time that Alex had considered such an invitation. Every night whilst she walked away, she had paused before her stairs to take one last look at Gene, yet she had never quite plucked up the courage to ask him. Somehow, she felt that tonight she should. Why shouldn't she? They were both alone and it didn't mean anything.. did it?

"Gene?"

He looked up in respone, puzzled as to why Alex was asking for him. It will be only be to do with work, he told himself, not wanting to get his hopes up for them to be brought back down to reality a minute later.

"Yeah?"

"Erm. I was just.. well. I just wondered if you, erm.. if you.."

"If I what, Bolls?" Gene looked straight at her with his ocean-blue eyes that made her falter slightly every time she saw them, and Alex looked up, for her eyes to meet his.

"If you.. Do you want to come back to my flat? Just for a drink, or something, some wine.. I've got wine. Or whiskey. Whichever you'd prefer really. I was only wondering. Of course, you don't have to.."

"Yeah, alright Bolls."

Alex paused slightly before smiling her usual beautiful, warm smile, nodding slightly and turning to lead the way. If she had only turned back she would have noticed the similar smile that followed on Gene's lips as he took his coat, and got up to follow Alex.

--

"Not now," Alex mumbled, reluctantly bringing herself away from the warmth of the person next to her, and onto the cold side of her bed. As she rolled over, the ringing got louder until she woke with a start, her eyes opening wide and realising that she was, in fact, alone. Realising that the phone was ringing in reality and not just her dream, she quickly answered, knowing that at such an early time in the morning, good news did not await her. "Hello?"

"Morning Bolls. You sleep well?" He mustn't have been awake very long, and Alex could tell from the sleepy but incredibly sexy tone in his voice.

"Erm, yes. Fine, thanks. Wh." Gene cut her off before she could say anymore.

"Good. You'll need it. Bad news I'm afraid. Get dressed, put your make-up on; whatever it is you girls do. I'll be over in 5 minutes."

With that, the phone went dead and Alex groaned. She checked the time; 5.30.

Could be an early robbery, she thought to herself. Most likely to be a body though. She'd soon find out, so she grabbed her jeans, a baggy jumper and her jacket, before running a comb and some spray through her hair and applying a dash of blue eyeshadow to the corners of her eyelids. Whilst checking her appearance in the mirror, there was a loud knock on the door. She'd looked worse, she decided and went to answer the door, shouting "Coming" on the way.

Gene met her, dressed quickly and scruffily; his shirt was not yet tucked in, his tie was loosely fastened around his neck and his hair had not fully settled from getting out of bed. His eyelids were still struggling to stay open and he hadn't washed fully; Alex thought he had never looked better. Whilst following Gene down the stairs to the Quattro, Alex struggled to conceal her grin. She had forgotten about the sight that may welcome her in a few minutes; at the moment, the only person on her mind was Gene.

--

"So. What do we know?" Alex asked, settling her head back into the passenger seat of the Quattro.

"Young female. About 20 they reckon. Found dead down by the riverside by a couple of teenagers. Must've been out all night getting pissed. Either way, it's a good job they stumbled across her. Not a pretty sight, apparently – looks like she's been there a while."

"Oh, great. Any idea of how long she's been there?"

"Few weeks. But because of the conditions any evidence is gonna be harder to get."

"Yeah, of course," Alex sighed. "Have we got an ID? Her parents will need to know."

"Not yet. We're still gonna have to search through missing persons. I'll get Chris and Ray on that later."

"Yeah, okay."  
They sat through the rest of the journey in silence, both knowing what was going to face them, but neither of them wanting to acknowledge it. Alex closed her eyes, lolling gently into a light sleep, letting memories of last night wash over her, before being rudely awakened by the sharp jolt of the Quattro braking.

"No time for naps, Bolly. We've got a case to solve."

"I know, sorry. I'm coming."

Chris and Ray were not there yet and Alex was glad; she wasn't in the mood for any of their jokes and she knew that Gene wouldn't dare mention anything in front of her without support from the boys. It was a good job; the sight of the young girl's body was appalling. Alex let out a small gasp as she took in the extent of the girl's injuries and the pain she must have suffered. A large, bloody gash covered the girl's forehead and left cheek, leaving matted hair tangled around her delicate face. Her full lips were blue and her skin, which would once have been a healthy pink, was now a ghostly white pallor, mottled with streaks of grey and blue. Large bruises painted her forearms and her hands were covered with a large array of cuts and grazes, each leaving a cherry-red imprint in her skin. Some of her fingernails were torn and had bled – the signs of a struggle with her attacker. Her body was nude and some of her clothes could be seen further down the path; they too were torn and covered in maroon blotches and would not have provided any protection against the extremities in which the young girl had been left. Alex's heart went out for the girl, as her injuries only got worse. The same bruises could be found on the girl's legs and it was obvious to Alex and anyone else that she had been raped before her death.

"Have forensics managed to pick anything up?"

"They've tried, got what they can I think. I don't think there's much more we can do here – we'll have to wait until they get her to the morgue, see what they find there."

"Yeah. Maybe we should get back to the station."

"Hmm. Come on then."

Alex watched Gene walk away, knowing how much a crime like this would have affected him, but not wanting to admit it. She knew that deep down Gene had one of the kindest hearts a person could have, but at times she only wished that he would let her see that side to him more often. She knew she was lucky; she was likely to be one of the only people that Gene would open up to and for that she was grateful but Gene still didn't know just how much Alex appreciated this.

--

A few days passed, and CID had made little progress on the case in hand. The same routine followed; Alex tried to make it into the office slightly earlier than normal to do extra work, as did Gene. They finished later than usual, meaning they spent much less time in Luigi's afterwards. On some nights Gene joined Alex in her flat for another drink, but he soon went, knowing that they both needed the rest. Alex knew that by now, Eve would soon be joining them too. The thought of extra experience and a fresh face on the team was a relief to Alex. She was also eager to get the know the person that she had heard so little about, and find out a bit more about her past in Manchester. However, she was unsure of how much she really wanted to know.


	3. Chapter 3

**Finally, next chapter is up. Thankyou everybody for your reviews so far; I really do appreciate them even if I don't get round to replying, so thank you very much for taking the time to read :) **

**I will try and update sooner next time, I really will! **

**And I'm still un-beta'd so there might be a few slips - I've checked and I don't think there are but.. you never know! (:**

**xx**

* * *

Chapter 3

Gene sat watching CID from his office, seeming interested in his tasks whilst the truth was that he couldn't have been more distracted if he'd tried. Ever since he'd heard from Viv that morning he had been on edge, and it hadn't gone unnoticed from the closest members of his team; Chris and Ray. They knew better than to interrupt today, and had an idea of what was wrong. Alex had at first been unsuspecting, until she was about to approach Gene's office, to be stopped by Chris.

"Erm, Maam, I've, erm, got the pathology report for the girl."

"Yes, I've already seen it thanks, Chris. I just need to see the Guv about something."

"Yeah, erm, I just thought you might want to check through it again. You might have missed something."

"I don't think I did. I can always check again later. But thanks."

Alex smiled sweetly and carried on past, until Viv opened the door. Gene noticed and raised his head from his 'paperwork' for the first time that morning. He stepped out of his office and cautiously put his hands in his pockets.

"Guv. Eve Green, the new DS – thought I'd better make her feel welcome."

"Yeah. Thanks Viv."

With that, Viv stepped forward out of the way to reveal a beautiful young girl standing behind him, who confidently came in front.

"Gene.." She smiled and Gene nodded, but neither of them moved closer.

Alex, and the rest of the team, followed the two, with a look of quiet disbelief on their faces. A silence had fallen in the room which was steadily being broken by small murmurs, including Ray who Alex heard mutter, "Bloody hell." Chris turned to Ray with raised eyebrows and Alex noticed that these weren't the only two doing this action – most of the men in CID also had similar expressions on their face. Alex, who was steadily becoming frustrated by their apparent ignorance felt inclined to break the silence and stepped forward to greet Eve.

"Hi, Eve. I'm Alex Drake. It's great to meet you." She smiled warmly, holding out her hand for Eve to shake.

"It's good to meet you too. Alex is a lovely name." Eve returned the favour, taking Alex's hand and greeting her. Even Alex now began to understand why Ray, Chris and every other man in the room had reacted in such a way. Apart from her stunningly good looks and her incredible figure, Eve had an instant warmth and sense of honesty about her. She broke Alex's thoughts by making the first move, and approaching Gene.

"It's been a long time Gene. I didn't know whether I'd see you again," she said.

For the first time Gene took a step towards her and spoke.

"Yeah. It has. Good to see you back Eve." To Alex's amazement, Gene smiled at Eve, who again, did the same and they shook hands, just like old friends would. Everybody else in the room seemed to breathe a sigh of relief and Alex insisted on introducing Eve to the rest of CID, whilst Gene silently retreated back to his office unnoticed. They came to Chris and Ray last, who seemed extremely happy to see Eve again – Alex had almost forgotten that they were old friends, and that they had a past back in Manchester together. Since she had arrived it had felt as if they had only ever belonged here in London. After watching Ray greet Eve and almost hug her, Alex was pleased to see Chris' face light up as she too, hugged him. It seemed as if she really had made an impression on them when she last worked with them and suddenly Alex felt like an outsider. Watching the three make jokes again after being apart for so long, Alex realised how long it must have took for them to gain so much trust in Eve, yet how much they still respected her. She hadn't forgotten the way Ray had first treated her when she came and so to see Ray treating a woman this well was a surprise for Alex. She noticed that Gene had gone back into his office, looking slightly less concerned than he did earlier – she left him for now, hoping to talk to him later in Luigi's. Instead, Alex sat down and made a start on her paperwork for the day, whilst listening to Eve's conversation.

"Don't worry Ray, we'll have a catch-up later; I'm just going to see Gene."

Hesitantly, Eve pushed open the door to Gene's office, not sure whether she should feel welcome or not. At first, they only looked at each other; it had been 4 years since they had last spoke and suddenly, it felt as if it was all a dream. Gene took in the sight of her slowly. Fashions had changed since he'd seen her last – her hair was not dissimilar though, and if anything both her looks and figure had improved. Once, he hadn't thought that was possible. Apart from that, she didn't look too different. Her hair was a slightly darker shade, her eyes still the same bright hazel as they once were; the same striking cheekbones that were now enhanced by recent make-up, and the same full lips, now covered in a light shade of pink. All in all, she was the same woman that she was 4 years ago; the same woman that Gene had fallen in love with. Well, at least, he thought he'd fallen in love with her.

At the same time Eve was doing the same, taking in Gene like she never had before. He had aged slightly, she thought, but he looked all the better for it. He seemed to have lost weight which only seemed to lengthen his already long legs and his new suits seemed to show him in a better light than his 70s clothing. His hair was slightly longer now too but some things hadn't changed. The same blue eyes – the eyes were always something that Eve had loved about Gene. The same hands, with his slim fingers that she had always found strangely appealing. She was never sure exactly what made Gene Hunt so attractive to her, but one thing she knew was that she had fallen in love with him for many reasons unbeknownst to her, and maybe she could even go as far to say that she was still in love with him. For a while, both of them stayed like this, until Eve thought that she should break the silence.

"Well, CID's a bit cleaner than it used to be." Gene laughed gently, knowing that Eve used to find CID very unappealing at first, until she had become accustomed to the smell of cigarettes and alcohol 24/7.

"Yeah. Things are changing round here. People come and clean the place now, believe it or not." Eve laughed too, smiling. They should have had so much to talk about but now they were finally able to talk, neither of them could find the words they wanted to say, though both of them tried. "Enjoy it here down in London then?"

"Hmm. It's not bad. It's not Manchester, but it's not bad." Gene looked up after tracing the rim of his glass.

"How's it been back in Manchester?"

"Strange at first. With you, Ray and Chris gone it was just so.. different. CID was never the same after you three left. And of course, after Sam.."

She broke off, not wanting to approach the subject and also knowing that Gene wouldn't want her to. "Well, it's still not like it used to be. I never really properly enjoyed it. The new DCI was too … proper." She smiled, as did Gene, as he knew that despite her occasional complaints, she approved of his policing methods. He wished he could say the same for Alex.

"Missed the Manc Lion then, did you?" Eve knew that it was only an offhand comment but they both sensed a deeper meaning in the question. If only Gene could know how much Eve had missed Gene in those months that had followed his leave; but she didn't want to make him aware of it. Pushing the thoughts out of her head, she said, "Well, I got by." She grinned and got up to leave.

"Going so soon?"

"Work to be done Gene. We can always catch up later I suppose. Well, if you want to…" She paused, hand on the door and looked straight at Gene.

"We go to Luigi's after work. Bit different from the Railway Arms though. I'll save you a seat."

"Luigi's? Doesn't sound like your type of place. But alright." She smiled to herself before turning out of Gene's office to her desk. Gene propped his legs up on the desk and thought back to the time he had first seen Eve.

* * *

_**CID, 1975**_

"_I'm telling you Guv, last thing we need is another bloody woman in the place. The force isn't the place for 'em – they should be back at home doing something useful." _

"_Alright Ray, I heard you the first time you told me. There's not a lot we can do about it, she's supposed to be joining us today. You never know, she might not be that bad."_

"_Well, if she's got a decent pair I'm not complaining but after a few weeks she'll be doing all our heads in."_

"_Hmm. Well, we've got used to Annie." _

"_What was that, Guv?" Annie asked, looking up from her work. _

"_Nothing love, you carry on." _

"_Oh right," she smiled. "Guv, isn't our new DS coming today?"_

"_Yeah. She better bloody turn up soon, we've got an interview with that bastard Smith later." _

"_Ooh, I forgot about him. Drugs, wasn't it?" Ray asked._

"_Yeah. And if he thinks he can get away with bringing drugs into my area, he's got another think coming."_

_A small bang made them all look up. The door had opened, and there stood the most attractive girl Gene had ever seen. Similar thoughts must have entered everyone else's heads, because throughout the room there was a chorus of small whistles, and men nodding appreciatively at Eve. Gene, however, didn't join in. He looked over to Ray, who looked momentarily hypnotised, his eyes moving only to take in more of Eve's body. Gene stood up, and to his amazement saw Eve look him up and down, much like the others had been doing to her. Or maybe he was imagining it. He was old, she was young. She was beautiful too; the sort of girl who would never look twice at him. Yeah, he must have been imagining it. Nevertheless, she walked forward smiling at Gene. _

"_Gene Hunt, yes?" she asked. _

"_Yeah. Eve?" He couldn't think of much more to say, to the disbelief of both himself and others in the room._

"_Yes." She smiled again, this time holding out her hand. Gene took it, feeling the soft, warm skin on Eve's hand against his larger, rougher hand. Her touch had heightened his senses and Gene couldn't help but imagine what it would be like to feel that more often. Forcing himself to think of other things, their hands finally fell back to their sides, and Gene turned towards his office whilst Eve introduced herself to the others. Back in his office, Gene worried. Never had this happened to him before, even when he first met his wife. He just hoped that Ray hadn't noticed. After all, Ray knew him best and it wouldn't be long before he became suspicious. _

* * *

**CID, 1983**

Alex had been watching Eve and Gene's conversation from her desk. She now wished she hadn't. There was an undeniable chemistry between Eve and Gene, which she had expected, but she hadn't thought that it would still be as strong. She had no doubt that Gene and Eve had been together in Manchester; she could see that from the moment Eve had walked in. She had even considered this before Eve arrived, but whilst thinking about it it hadn't bothered her. So why did it now? "It's nothing," Alex thought to herself. "It's only Gene. Gene and his ex. Together again.." She stopped herself. "It doesn't mean anything's going to happen. And even if it did, it wouldn't matter. We're not even together. He's nothing. My boss.. that's it." As much as she tried to convince herself that Gene didn't matter to her, and that Eve was of no concern to her, she couldn't help but think about it for the rest of that day. It didn't help that most of CID seemed to have forgotten about Alex, and instead focused their thoughts and attention on Eve. She was becoming extremely popular already, much unlike Alex had been at first, but Alex had thought that all that had stopped. She was one of the team now, wasn't she? Sighing, she stood up, put her jacket on and walked straight out of CID, oblivious to everybody. Everybody apart from Gene.


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey guys, I am SO SO sorry about how long it's been since the last update. **

**If you're reading this right now, I thank you so much for sticking with me and the story. ****I've been quite enjoying writing this tonight, so hopefully the next update will be sooner (but I said that last time).**

**Thank you to Em from Luigi's for beta-ing this!**

**That's all for now, once again thank you and I hope you enjoy! (:**

**Much love, Ant xx**

* * *

Alex sat, tracing the rim of her wine glass with her finger, her other hand rested underneath her chin. 'No, Gene didn't matter,' she thought. 'Much more peaceful in Luigi's on my own,' she decided, taking a sip of the wine. It wasn't the best, but it tasted better than usual. A shadow fell across her table, and she looked up. 'Maybe, just maybe, he did notice,' she hoped. Sure enough, it was Gene looking down at her, a slightly concerned expression etched across his face. He sat down at the opposite chair, still looking at her.

"What's wrong Bolls?" He was serious, and Alex was sure she noted a slight hint of worry in his voice. Then again, maybe that's what she was just hoping to hear.

"Me? Oh, I'm fine. Nothing wrong." She managed an unconvincing smile which failed to satisfy Gene.

"Bolls, you walked out of here in the middle of the day to come and get drunk. Now, I know how much you like to drink, but even that is unusual for you lately. And don't try and tell me you haven't been here long, 'cos I saw you walk out. So, what's wrong?"

Alex wasn't sure what to say. She felt ridiculously childish now she thought about it. She'd walked off in a strop because CID weren't paying attention to her. No, because Gene wasn't paying attention to her. She opened her mouth to speak, but what could she tell him? If she told him the truth she'd only make a fool of herself. But Gene would see right through anything else she tried to tell him. "Erm, well, I'd.." She broke off, trying to think of something believable.

"Well, what?" Gene was persistent, still gazing at Alex who was looking straight back.

"I…"

"You didn't think I'd notice, did you Bolly?" Alex was surprised. Had Gene really been able to tell what was wrong?

"Erm. Well you were.."

"Just 'cos someone else has turned up, doesn't mean I don't keep an eye on the rest of you." Her hopes dampened slightly; he hadn't meant quite what Alex had been thinking. Still, she carried on.

"Well, everyone else seems to be rather taken with Eve, I just assumed you would be too. I'd finished my paperwork, so I came here."

Gene smiled.

"What?" Alex asked, not entirely sure as to why Gene was smiling. Maybe she was blushing; oh God, she hoped she wasn't. Not at a moment like this.

"Why did you think I'd be taken with Eve?"

Alex faltered. He hadn't taken his eyes off her. Why did she think he'd be taken with Eve?

"You used to be together, didn't you?"

Gene paused slightly. "So you worked that one out then. I'm not surprised; you always work it out before anyone else."

"It wasn't exactly hard to work out, was it? You only had to look at you both to know that…"

"Meaning?" Gene interrupted.

"You can just tell. The way you are with each other. Your body language.."

"Psychology?"

"You could say that I suppose." She laughed, half amazed at Gene's use of the right word for a change.

"Just because we had something once, doesn't mean we can't work together. Or that something is gonna happen again."

"Yeah. I know. But there's always the possibility. I mean, I can see why you'd want to be with her."

"Yeah, but it doesn't mean I do want to be with her." The look he gave her showed that he meant it, and for now Alex was convinced. "Are you coming back?"

"Just let me finish," she said, biting her lip to stop herself grinning. She felt like a teenager again, and all because of Gene Hunt. As much as she tried to convince herself that he didn't matter to her, she knew she was wrong. Right now, Gene mattered more to her than anybody else in this world ever would.

* * *

Back at CID things were slow. Steadily, people were drifting off home – there were still no leads on the recent murder case and Gene had announced there was to be a welcome party for Eve that night in Luigi's. An excuse for an early finish. Only Ray, Gene, Alex and Eve were left behind now; Chris and Shaz had also gone home with the intention of getting ready early.

Eve was again in Gene's office, her soft tones and laughter occassionally drifting through into the main office. Alex sat at her desk, biro in hand tapping her notepad, hoping to brainstorm ideas on the recent case; all she currently had was a bubble saying, 'Ideas' and a few arrows leading to blank spaces. Her thought process was going nowhere and the frequent interruption of voices wasn't helping. Taking a break, she got up and headed for the kitchen and the hope of caffeine, glancing towards Gene's office at the same time. She took a double glance, noticing Eve leaning against the desk, Gene sat in the chair, barely inches from each other. She carried on slowly, pausing in the door to the kitchen, catching snippets of their conversation.

"You didn't have to do this you know Gene. It's only my first day back." Eve smiled at Gene, who returned the favour, and replied, "Yeah, well.. I wanted to give you a proper welcome 'ere. Little celebration. Won't do any harm."

"Well, it's much appreciated. Although I don't really know the others very well."

"You know Chris and Ray… and me of course. You're getting on alright with Alex aren't you?"

"Yeah.. yeah, she seems really nice. Whether she likes me is a different question though." She smiled slightly.

"I find it hard to believe that anyone could dislike you Eve."

Eve looked up, brushed her hair out of her eyes and grinned sheepishly.

"Hmm. Well I better go and do something. If I keep hanging round here all day people will get the wrong impression."

"And we wouldn't want that now would we."

Alex noticed the slight trace of a smirk on Gene's face, as he followed Eve out of the office. She brought herself away from their conversation and went to make her coffee. Whilst waiting for the kettle, Alex leant against the counter, running her hands through her hair, away with her thoughts when she felt a tap on her shoulder.

"Are you okay?" Eve asked, seeming genuinely concerned about Alex.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just.. just a few things on my mind, that's all." She switched the kettle off and poured a steaming mug of coffee, offering one to Eve as well.

"I'm okay thanks. I'm gonna pop home soon.. I need to get ready for tonight. You are coming aren't you?"

Alex nodded. "Of course."

"Good. I'm glad. Sometimes us girls need to stick together in a place full of men."

They both laughed, knowing too well how working in an office full of males could be slightly too overwhelming at times.

"Were you on your own back in Manchester?" Alex asked Eve.

"No, thankfully! God, that would have been awful. Luckily I had Annie to keep me company."

"Annie?"

"Yeah. She was one thing that kept me sane in that place after the others left." Eve's grin had faded from her face, and now she was much more subdued. Alex saw the reflection of what happened in her eyes, and thought it best not to push her any further on the subject.

"You got any ideas as to what you're wearing tonight then? You'll have to wear something good – you're the special person." Alex smiled mischieviously, to which Eve laughed and raised her eyebrows.

"Hmm, I was thinking about that actually. I'm not sure whether I've got anything! An afternoon shopping trip might be in order. Maybe you could come?"

Slightly taken aback, Alex was hesitant at first, but maybe an afternoon out getting to know Eve would do her good. "Of course! I might have to treat myself too." They smiled and Eve left, the scents of her sweet perfume fading as she went.

* * *

"I am so sorry!" Alex panted, breathless from jogging the past few streets. Eve turned around; "Don't worry about it! We've got plenty of time yet; you didn't have to rush!" She took in Alex's flustered appearance and laughed slightly. "Want a minute to catch your breath?"

"No, no, I'm fine," Alex replied, laughing too.

"So, shall we get started? I was hoping you could lead the way – it's a while since I've been to London."

"Hmm, I don't know the place that well myself! Shall we go this way? There's some good shops over here." She smiled, beginning to walk in the direction she'd pointed and Eve followed. 'Maybe this afternoon with Eve wouldn't be so bad,' Alex thought. She had been quite worried about spending a few hours alone with her, but it was only Alex's childish attitudes towards her and Gene that were stopping her from actually making friends with her. 'God, what an idiot you are Alex,' she said to herself. From now on, she vowed not to let her feelings about Gene get in the way of what could be a friendship between the two; after all, what had happened between Gene and Eve was in the past, and it had nothing to do with Alex. But then again, what had happened between them?

"So. Why did you decide to come down to London, Eve? I thought you would have enjoyed Manchester."

"I do; well, did. A lot happened there – sometimes a change is good I think." She looked at Alex and smiled. "Anyway, I was offered a transfer and I didn't really have anything to lose. CID back in Manchester never really felt the same after everything that happened."

"When you say what happened, you're referring to.."

"Sam. The others leaving. Our old team had fell apart. But I think I'll begin to enjoy the job again now." Eve had looked as if she was temporarily on another planet, but her usual expression had returned and she smiled again.

"I know what you mean. A good team can make all the difference."

"Yes, it can. But it felt like more than that, with the whole lot of us; Gene, Chris, Ray, Sam and Annie. We had some great times."

"I can imagine. You missed them then?" Alex had no doubt that she had missed Gene during this time, but she was unsure of how much Eve was willing to tell her.

Eve laughed. "Surprisingly, yes, I did miss them! Ray and Chris' antics were infuriating sometimes but as you can imagine, CID was unusually quiet without them."

Alex paused. "What about Gene?"

"Hmm, yes, Gene." Another small smile, this time more to herself. "Yes. I missed him too." Eve appeared to have no more to say on the subject, and so Alex left her enquiries about Gene for another time. They had arrived at the shops now and Alex desperately needed a new outfit for that night.

* * *

Luigis was bustling tonight. It seemed as if most of the police station had turned up, hoping for some free drinks or a new date. As a result, Luigi was flustered, trying to control everybody whilst catering to their needs, his usual practice with CID. After many complaints Luigi had finally been persuaded to turn off his Italian opera music and switch it to something more contemporary, much to his annoyance. "You could have told me you planned on a party tonight, Signor Hunt." He rolled his eyes, pushing his way past tables, glasses in hand, to reach CIDs usual spot.

"Nothing you can't handle Luigi. Another bottle of your best bubbly wouldn't go amiss either for when our guest finally arrives."

"Ahh, our next Signorina. ..And where is Signorina Drake tonight?"

"On 'er way I should imagine. With bottles of wine and bubbly on the house I'd have thought she'd have been 'ere long ago."

"'On the house', Signor Hunt?" Luigi asked, mildly confused.

"How very kind Luigi, I knew you wouldn't mind. Special occasion after all."  
Luigi tutted and headed back to the bar, extra glasses in hand.

"Bloody nora, " Ray exclaimed under his breath, nudging Gene slightly. Gene, who was preoccupied with swirling the contents of his glass turned, noticing quickly what had caught Ray's attention. He had always suspected that Ray had liked her and he couldn't blame him; tonight she really had pulled out the stops. Heads turned; eyes found their way up and down her never-ending legs and toned body; some mouths opened slightly; eyebrows were raised. The effect she had on the others was not unnoticed by Gene who hated to admit that he was slightly jealous and annoyed that every other man in the room thought it was okay to look at her like that. They were irrational thoughts but he had always felt this way about her, ever since he had noticed how other men responded to her. Seeing somebody make their way towards her now, he quickly called her to alert her to their presence. She moved quickly, relieved to be away from the man who was trying to chat her up and gave Gene and the others a wave and a grin.

"Thanks," she said as Gene handed her a glass of Bollinger that he had already poured.

"Nice dress," he said as he took in her appearance. It was a short, tight-fitting but classy piece, that showed off her perfect shape. She smiled in appreciation.

"I only bought it this afternoon – I thought I should make an effort seeing as it's 'my' party." Gene only smiled back, his thoughts elsewhere.

* * *

_**Manchester, 1977**_

_Gene watched Eve as she made her way towards him. Only seeing her in her work clothes normally, he was pleasantly surprised to see how well she looked when off duty; well, out of the station. She was wearing a knee-length, black dress – simple, but stunning. _

"_Do I look alright? It's not too inappropriate is it?" Eve glanced at herself hesitantly, a worried expression on her face. _

"_You look fine, perfect."_

"_Oh good." She breathed a sigh of relief. "I mean, I know we're only undercover, but I wanted to look okay." _

"_Nothing to worry about. It suits you," Gene said as he couldn't help but look Eve up and down, noticing how well it complemented her figure. She smiled up at him and he bent his head down slightly to kiss her. She pulled away, her fingers brushing lightly against his cheek._

"_Gene, are you sure? I mean, we are in public…"_

"_I know. We're also undercover; gotta make it look convincing, haven't we? And we may as well make the most out of it…" he added as he took her head in his hands and pulled her closer. He felt her smile against his lips as they kissed. _

* * *

**London, 1983**

"Gene, hello! Wake up!" Eve laughed as she waved a glass in front of his face. "Are you okay? You looked a million miles away." She pulled back to look at him, slightly concerned this time.

"Fine. Just thinking about something," Gene said, as he took the glass out of his hands and swallowed most of its contents.

"Oh good," Eve said, more comfortable again. "Where's Alex?"

"Dunno. She is coming isn't she?"

"Yeah! Well at least I think so. She bought a new dress too, it would be a bit of a waste for her not to turn up."

"Hmm. I'm sure she'll show up."

Alex made her way down the stairs, towards the music that drifted up from below. She had took longer than usual getting ready tonight, partly in an attempt to liven up. She had not been looking forward to the party, but after a pleasant afternoon with Eve and a new dress she had decided to make more of an effort. She entered Luigi's, pushing her way through the crowd towards the back where she knew the rest of CID would be. She attracted a few admiring glances as she went past, but she stopped still as she noticed Gene and Eve standing in the corner, their hands touching lightly as they stood sipping their drinks. As Gene bent down to speak to Eve, she grinned and glanced up at him; he moved to brush a loose curl away from her face, his hand lingering a moment longer than necessary. Alex's stomach dropped. Only this morning had Gene said that he wouldn't want anything to happen between him and Eve, but on this occasion, actions definitely spoke louder than words. They couldn't take their eyes off each other, and Alex didn't feel like intruding. She turned back towards the direction she had came from, as a man she vaguely recognised tried to catch her attention. She ignored him and walked straight past, back upstairs to her flat. She strode into the kitchen, taking a bottle of red wine and a glass down from the cupboard, blinking back tears from her stinging eyes. She gulped half of the glass down in one, and leant against the kitchen sideboard. She angrily wiped her eyes but it was no use; she closed them as tears began to spill again. Through her muddled, confused thoughts and her headache that was rapidly appearing, she didn't hear the gentle knock on the door.


	5. Chapter 5

Well I had a stab at the ol' psychology in this, just guesswork but if there are any really big errors in it that other people know more about than me, don't hesitate to let me know!

**If you're reading this, thanks very much! :) **

**Hope you enjoy, Ant xx**

**

* * *

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**Chapter 5**

"Bolls?" Gene lifted his arm, his hand temporarily pausing outstretched over the door handle. He turned his head towards the door, straining to hear any noise from within the flat. It seemed to be empty; no TV was switched on, no music was playing and there were no muffled movements from Alex's kitchen. Maybe she was downstairs and he just hadn't noticed her arrive amongst the rest of the crowd. It seemed unusual that she hadn't come to see them though if this was the case. Maybe she was ill or asleep. Wherever she was Gene decided it might be best to leave her be. He took his arm away from the door and left, making his way back downstairs to the party. He paused halfway down; what if she had heard him knock and softly call her, but she was ignoring him? Glancing momentarily back towards her door he thought better of it and carried on down, thoughts running through his head. He hadn't done anything to upset her had he? They hadn't even argued recently and if anything, they got on well. 'Bloody women,' he thought. He didn't think he'd ever be able to work out what was going through their heads at any given time. The more he thought about it, he realised that in fact, the only woman he had come close to knowing was Eve.

* * *

"Any luck?" Eve enquired, an expectant look on her face.

"No. Don't think she's in there."

"Oh." Eve looked mildly confused. "Well, she's definitely not down here." As Gene looked around, this much was obvious. Most of the crowd had now dispersed, leaving only CID and a bunch of about 10 others scattered around. Luigi was now peacefully working as usual, glad to have seen the back of most of Fenchurch East's police officers. Alex would have been easy to spot as she stood out in any crowd, but she was definitely not in Luigi's.

As the night went on, Alex didn't show and gradually people left until CID were the only ones remaining. Chris and Ray were sat at the table making jokes and pratting around, with Shaz looking on mildly bored, but half amused. Eve cast her sympathetic glances occasionally from the corner table where she sat with Gene, who looked absent minded, and if anything, thoroughly fed up with the party.

"Gosh, is that the time already?" Eve exclaimed, glancing at her watch. "I better go. Thanks Gene, for tonight." She smiled whilst standing up. Gene stood too and returned her smile before moving forwards to reach his arm around her. Eve breathed in his scent, which had only changed slightly since the 70s. She put this down to a new aftershave and smiled to herself as memories of the long nights she used to spend with him came flooding back.

"No worries," Gene replied after finally pulling out of the embrace. Gene's eyes followed Eve as she left Luigi's, before he too finished his drink, re-traced her steps and made his way out.

* * *

Even with her eyes closed, Alex's head was pounding. The racket from downstairs hadn't helped, but then again, neither had the bottle of red wine that she had consumed. She groaned before turning on her side, when another shooting pain ran across her forehead. She rubbed her temple and winced, letting her head fall back against the cushion, dozing slightly. The party downstairs must have finished now; either that or Luigi had finally thrown them all out. Whatever the reason, Alex wasn't complaining. It was finally peacful, and maybe now she could just rest and wait for the painkillers to take effect.

The loud knock on the door echoed through the empty room and Alex's head. She opened her eyes and squinted even though it was dark inside. She peered closely at her watch. Midnight. Had she read it right? Who would be calling at this time? Whoever it was clearly wasn't willing to leave; another loud knock rang through again, this time followed by a soft, but gruff murmur. The voice was instantly recognisable.

"Bolls… you awake?"

Gene. 'Surprised he isn't with Eve!' she thought to herself, before the throught struck and she realised that he wasn't; he was here, he had come to see her. Rolling off the sofa, Alex realised what a dishevelled mess she must look. She glanced in the mirror as she passed it and ran her hands through her hair trying to flatten one side of buoyant curls, whilst trying to bring some life into the side she had slept on. She ran a finger underneath her eyes to neaten up the smudged make-up and blinked, becoming accustomed to her surroundings a bit more now. She had definitely looked better. She probably looked better back in 2008, lying bloodied with a bullet to her head, but it was dark, she thought. Maybe he wouldn't notice.

"Bloody 'ell, Bolls," Gene said, quite alarmed as she opened the door. "Rough night?"

"Headache," she said in a faint whisper of a voice. "What are you doing here anyway?"

"Thought I'd pop in," Gene said, trying to make it sound like an offhand comment but there was no mistaking the concern in his voice. "You sure you're alright?"

"I'll be fine," Alex replied whilst pouring herself a glass of cold water. "I've had worse."

"Well, if you're sure Bolls. You don't look too well," he said, peering cautiously at her. She paused as he unexpectedly, but delicately brushed the unruly curls away from her face, but turned as she remembered his very similar actions with Eve earlier. She wasn't going to fall for his same tricks, she thought.

"I can go if you want, I…"

"No, no, you don't have to," Alex interjected, perhaps a little too quickly. She was not best pleased at Gene's impeccably bad timing. She was also still angry, upset, confused – she wasn't exactly sure how she felt after witnessing the scene from earlier in the evening, but she knew that he was here now and she didn't feel like being alone.

"I popped up earlier and knocked, but I don't think you heard."

Alex's heart skipped a beat – had he really torn himself away from Eve to come and check where she was? Of course, he could have been lying.

"Did you?" She looked up – he'd caught her attention now.

"Yeah. Noticed you weren't downstairs, wondered if you were ever gonna turn up."

Alex couldn't remember feeling as stupid as she did now. It wasn't even her party, it was Eve's. The least she could have done was shown her face over at the CID table, but instead she'd thrown yet another tantrum. She couldn't even remember acting like this when she was at school.

"Well.. I was going to, but.. my headache, it got worse. It was a bit noisy down there, that's all." She sighed. "I'll have to apologise to Eve in the morning."

"Don't worry about Eve, she was just concerned about you."

Guilt seeped through Alex as Gene said this, knowing that Eve probably had been more concerned to the reason as to why Alex hadn't come downstairs, rather than the fact that she wasn't there for her party.

"Well, it's only polite I suppose." She winced as she smiled, the harsh lights of the kitchen beaming down.

"Go sit down Bolls. You look like you need a rest. I'll stay if you want, but.."

"I've already said Gene, you can stay, it's fine. Come sit down."

Alex slowly led the way into the lounge, guided slightly by Gene's hand hovering above her hips. She sank down into the soft pillows on the sofa followed by Gene, who propped his arm on the back of the sofa next to Alex's neck. Being so close, Gene couldn't help but take in her form, noticing things he hadn't in the past. The tiny, barely noticeable freckles that dotted the bridge of her nose; the perfect line of her eyebrows; the last remnants of make-up smudged in the corner of her beautifully shaped eyes; her lips – 'Much better when her mouth is closed,' he thought to himself, whilst smirking slighty. The urge to reach out and take her face, her hair in his hand overwhelmed him, and he reflexively lifted his fingers towards her, before Alex spoke and he jerked them back to his lap again.

"How was the party then?"

Gene tried to remember the hours of the evening, something which he seemed incapable of doing whilst Alex's perfumed scent filled his nostrils, his head and his thoughts.

"Erm, yeah, yeah it was good. Just the usual really."

"I didn't miss out on too much then?"

"No. No, nothing."

"Good." Alex smiled. She hadn't forgotten what she had seen earlier but she had felt Gene edging closer before she had spoken, felt his hands just millimetres from her face, felt his presence. Although she had wanted him to carry on, to take her and kiss her, she knew that he wouldn't and she knew that it was best to end the moment before it became awkward. In fact, while it lasted, Alex had found it quite sweet.

* * *

Eve threw her jacket on the kitchen table and poured a glass of wine. When the bottle had finished glugging, the house remained silent. Once, it would have been unusual for her to come back to a quiet house, with a cold, empty bed after a CID party, but things had changed. Even the parties themselves had changed. The boys were definitely more subdued than they used to be; not too much, but slightly. Gene didn't have the same vigour about him that he had back in the 70s, but he wasn't to be blamed for that, considering what had happened since then. She herself had changed too. She was accustomed to the lonely nights by now although she couldn't go so far as to say that she enjoyed them. After any celebration in CID in Manchester, Gene and Eve would use the extra time as an excuse to be together for a night. She would be lying if she said that she didn't wish it was like that again, but he had Alex now. Although neither of them confirmed it, it was obvious to her that there were feelings between the two. Eve sighed. Things definitely had changed.

_**Manchester, 1977**_

_Gene bent down, leaning close to Eve's ear. "It's still early, we can leave these nonces 'ere and none of 'em will notice," he said, his hands slipping down towards her waist. Eve turned round and smiled. They both glanced at the rest of CID, who were either vomiting into the bin, drinking, 'dancing' or generally pratting around. Eve's hand went to her waist and met Gene's, as he picked up his coat from a nearby chair and left CID. Half an hour later, Ray noticed the absence of his DCI and fellow DS. It wasn't the first time this had happened, and Ray had been suspecting for a while that they were somehow together. He would have confronted the Guv about it, but he wasn't sure how he would react to it, and so decided to leave it. However, if it happened one more time, he vowed to ask him._

"_I can't find my bloody keys."_

_Eve was fumbling in her handbag, rattling its contents around trying to find her door keys, whilst Gene was holding her hair away from her face, leaving a trail of kisses down her neck, his hands roaming down to her waist and her behind. _

"_Gene, stop it." She tried to sound serious but Gene knew better and smirked as she leaned her head back slightly, biting her lip. She too was smiling. "Maybe if you left me alone for a minute, I wouldn't be so distracted, and I would be able to get into the house!" _

"_Looks like we're gonna be out 'ere for a while then, doesn't it?" _

_Giving in, Eve turned around and Gene trailed the kisses from her neck to her mouth, their lips parting and meeting, both wanting each other. Her hand reached around his neck, running through his hair, as he pushed her gently against the door. His hands travelled her body, her breasts, her hips, as their kiss deepened, his tongue parting her mouth and meeting hers. She brought his head closer feeling him erect against her but she pulled away, gasping slightly. _

"_Wait, Gene. Let me find my keys. We can't stand out on this step all night."_

"_Well, I was quite enjoying meself." _

_She laughed and Gene smiled, his hand pushing her inside as she unlocked the door. Eve had barely shut the door before Gene leant down again, continuing where he left off, and proceeding to remove her clothes. They both fumbled, desperate to get to the bedroom, Eve unbuckling Gene's belt and unbuttoning his shirt as they made their way upstairs between kisses. _

"_Why do you always have to wear bloody ridiculous clothing?" Gene mumbled into her mouth as he attempted to take her dress off. _

"_Because you like it," she replied, at to which Gene could only smile. She did look good in all these figure hugging dresses, but they were a pain when it came to removing them. Eve had kicked both of her shoes off somewhere along the stairs and had unzipped Gene's trousers as he brought her down onto the bed, lifting her slightly to finally take her dress and bra off before bringing his mouth back down to hers, down to her breasts and stomach. His left arm pulled her right leg up and over his shoulder and he continued his trail of kisses down her stomach, past her navel to the inside of her thigh. _"God, Gene," _she sighed as his tongue dragged across her clit, into her, working her until she came, shuddering and gasping his name. He moved back up towards her, their mouths crashing down onto each other again, as Gene entered her, aroused from teasing her. He thrust inside her, working into a steady rhythm while his tongue darted in and out of her mouth, in between their pleas and sighs. _"Eve, my god.." _Gene groaned, as she tightened around him. He thrust faster, feeling her tighten around him, as they both came, panting. Gene rolled onto his back, breathing heavily, as he brought Eve close to him. He kissed her gently on her forehead, a feather light touch and she smiled, closing her eyes as he wrapped his arms around her. _

"_How long are you staying for tonight?" she mumbled into his chest._

"_A while. Don't worry, I'm not worn out yet," he smirked as he ran his hands through her hair and kissed her. _

* * *

"Bloody 'ell Bolls. It's 2 in the mornin'. I better go."

"Gosh, is it?" Alex's eyes widened in surprise.

"Time flies when you're 'aving fun Bolly," Gene smirked.

"Well, I wouldn't say that," Alex replied, looking down at her lap to hide the mischievious smile spreading across her face. Looking slightly disheartened Gene rose to leave, stopped by Alex's arm instinctively reaching out towards him. "You don't have to go if you don't want, you know. I'm not even that tired."

"No, erm, it's alright. You looked ill before Bolls, you probably need some sleep. More work tomorrow." He stood awkwardly, ready to go, but looking as if he wanted to stay right there.

"Yeah, I suppose you're right. You could at least finish your drink first though."

Alex's eyes were expectant, needing him to stay for some reason unbeknowst to her. Gene reached down and took his glass, swallowing the rest of its contents. Alex stood up, almost at eye level with Gene. As Gene put his empty glass back down on the table, he thought Alex moved forward slightly – they were now only inches apart and there was a noiceable air of awkwardness between them that both of them felt but neither of them acknowledged. Alex couldn't help but notice Gene's lips centimetres from her as she inclined her head slightly, Gene doing the same before Alex instead looked down, turning her face away and moving backwards. The moment broken, Gene too jumped away, his cheeks flushing. "Right Bolls, best be off."

This time, Alex decided it would be best for Gene for leave; if he stayed anymore they'd either struggle to talk after that embarrassing moment or things could get terribly out of hand. "Yeah, it's late."

"Hmm. Been drinking as well."

"Yeah. Well, see you tomorrow then," Alex replied sheepishly, looking anywhere but at Gene.

"Yeah, tomorrow. Erm, right. Bye then."

"Bye." Alex sighed as Gene left her flat. Facing him in work tomorrow wouldn't be easy.

Standing outside her door, Gene struggled to believe what had just happened. Surely he had been imagining it? Bolls leaning in for the kiss with him? It seemed unlikely, but he was sure he had noticed something in Alex he hadn't before – she seemed shy. Gene smiled. Maybe she really had fallen for the Gene Genie's charm.

* * *

It was early. Alex hadn't turned up for work yet and neither had Eve. Gene had come in early hoping to make some headway on the case, but without a team to work with he had resorted to a tea in his office alone with his thoughts. He was surprised at how well him and Eve were getting along. Initially, he was angry when he had heard she was joining them – angry at himself mostly for what he had done and the way he was now having to face that, but any hateful feelings towards her had dissipated the moment she had walked through the door. She had seemingly forgiven him for any past mistakes between them and he couldn't help but respect her for that. They hadn't exactly ended on good terms, but not surprisingly, she had been the mature one and moved on from that. In fact, he was enjoying her company again after their long separation and he was beginning to remember why he had liked her so much in Manchester. He was almost starting to regret the way things had turned out, and wished that sometimes they could still be in Manchester with the old team, back with Eve and the way their relationship was within the first year of being together, when Gene had really appreciated her. He wasn't sure whether he had loved her or not but he was certain he had come close. But then he had come down to London and met Alex which had threw him completely off guard in the same way that meeting Eve had and not a day had gone by when he hadn't thought of Alex. Being with Eve seemed like a distant memory to him now, but that had changed when she had come down to London. All the nights he had spent with her had come flooding back to him but this wasn't necessarily a good thing. Now Eve was back, he wasn't sure how he felt about her or Alex.

* * *

"Right. Gather round." It seemed Alex had some sort of breakthrough on the recent case, unlike the rest of the team who had spent the morning drinking coffee, eating pink wafers and having a stationery fight across the room. Alex had been scribbling away at making a psych profile on the murderer, as their latest forensic evidence had been delayed. "I've made a start on a psychological profile on our murderer. Ray, could you go and fetch some missing persons files please? We need an identity soonish to see if anyone else is at risk and to find a possible link between our victim and the murderer."

"We've already bloody looked through 'em," Ray mumbled under his breath, but a hard glare from Alex made him get up quickly and follow her orders. Still avoiding making eye contact with Gene, Alex began.

"Well. Firstly, our suspect used a lot of unnecessary violence against the girl which was his way of exerting control over her, making her feel inferior and unworthy. The signs of rape also support this, so perhaps we're looking for somebody who has a power struggle – they like to think that they should be in control but they struggle to be in command in their ordinary life. The girl wasn't very big and wouldn't have been very strong at all, so any average sized man could have easily carried out the injuries we saw, thus we're probably not looking for a 'hard' man. In fact, I'd be inclined to say we're looking for a bit of a nobody who is ignored frequently." Alex looked around the room at despondent stares. She wondered why she hadn't given up with this bunch, but for once, at least somebody was willing to contribute.

"Yes, Eve?"

Eve was paused in thought, clearly trying to make some connections with the case, which was a new sight to Alex in this room.

"Can the type of injury or location of the murder tell us anything?"

"To a certain extent, yes. The degree of violence shows that the killer either knew our victim or that he has a certain hatred towards the type of girl that she is which is why I'd like to find an identity as soon as possible. Now this is quite a stab in the dark, but because of how young the girl was I'd be inclined to say that our killer is childless and perhaps has problems with this, thus taking his feelings out on the girl. The cut to her face could also be a mark from him, stripping away her identity so she was nothing more than a body to him rather than a young girl or he was angered by the girl's beauty, suggesting relationship problems. If he's killed before or is going to again, this could be something to look out for. Now we think that our victim was killed where she was found, down by the river so maybe this was an important spot for the killer or just a place of convenience. If it's the former, maybe he lives nearby and has seen the girl there before or it's a frequent spot for him."

"Maybe he just likes rivers," Chris piped in, prompting bemused glances from the rest of the team and a few stifled laughs. Alex ignored the others.

"It's possible, maybe he connects the beauty spot of the river with the girl Chris. So for now, we need to check any previous convictions and criminal records – maybe we've interviewed him for a similar case and he looked unlikely. We also need to finish sifting through missing persons reports and find some possible identities, then we carry on from there."

When nobody moved except to take a sip from their tea or coffee, Alex gave an exasperated sigh whilst Gene shouted, "Well, come on! You heard her! We've got a bastard to catch, and it's not gonna happen if you're sat there on your arses, is it?!" He strode back into his office, whilst the ohers began busying themselves, asking Alex what they could do. When she had set them all off on tasks, she returned to her desk and the pile of files that awaited her, hoping to find something to get them started on a lead. A shadow appeared in front of her, and she looked up; "Eve," she began, "Look, about last night…"

"Don't worry. If you couldn't make it, that's not your fault, it's fine." Guilt began seeping through Alex.

"I'm sorry I wasn't there. I um… a headache started and I was out for the count," she said, covering up her lie with a smile. Eve smiled back.

"Really Alex, it's fine. But I'm impressed with your psychology, it's fascinating. It bewilders me how you can put all that together from what we've got. Annie always had me interested in psychology too."

"Annie did?"

"Yeah, she trained in psychology but the others didn't really recognise how valuable it could have been to us. They ignored her as if she was another plonk because she didn't really stand up to them. I don't mean Ray and Gene and that lot, I mean the team we were left with when they were gone. Complete bastards most of the time."

"I'm sorry to hear that. It's good to see you're taking an interest in psychology, I'm sure you could pick it up easily if you wanted."

"Thanks. I did wonder about doing that, you know how you can get night courses? But I decided against it in the end."

"You should do it if that's what you want. There's only so much I'd be able to tell you, but I can tell you how I put this together if you want?"

Eve smiled. "Really? That'd be great. Thanks." Eve pulled up a chair as Alex began going through her psychological profile before Gene popped his head round his office door.

"Drake, get your arse over here."

"Charming," Alex muttered to Eve who laughed.

"Yeah… what did I ever see in him?" she smiled.

"Hmm," she laughed before following Gene into his office.

"What did you want Guv?" she said whilst closing his door, eyes aimed sideways, averting his piercing gaze

"What's up Bolls? Can't even face the Gene Genie"?

Alex faltered. She was being stupid. Best to put last night behind them and act professional. "What?" she asked, making unfaltering eye contact.

"Don't know what you're talking about Guv."

Gene smirked. "Sure you don't Bolls." Gene's demeanour faltered slightly, as he approached the uncomfortable subject between them. "You know erm, last night…"

"Erm, yeah. Best to just, er, forget about it. Nothing happened, nothing at all."

"No, right, erm, yeah. Nothing."

"So.." Alex paused, biting her lip slightly and looking down at the floor, hand paused above the handle. "I'll get back to work shall I?"

"Yeah, yeah, probably best."

Alex turned to leave before Gene stopped her again.

"Actually Bolls, erm.. No, forget it. Doesn't matter."

"What?"

"Nothing."

"Tell me." They gazed at each other, Alex wanting desperately to know what he had to say whilst Gene was hesitant.

"Just wondering if, you know, erm, you wanted to have dinner tonight? Or tomorrow… whenever. Up to you, only a suggestion."

A look of relief passed across Gene's face as Alex beamed.

"I'd love to," she replied as she left the office. Gene sat back down, lighting a cigarette and taking a sip of scotch. Maybe Alex really did enjoy spending time with him.

"What's up with you?" Eve asked, surprised at how happy Alex was now she had returned from Gene's office.

"Oh, nothing," she replied as she grinned to herself, any coherent thoughts disappearing as she began to imagine dinner with DCI Hunt that night.


	6. Chapter 6: Part 1

**I'm uploading this chapter in two parts, because I have major writer's block with it at the minute, but don't want you all to wait TOO long, so whilst I don't particularly like this part, it's something to tide you over until part 2 of the chapter.**

**Hope you enjoy, thank you for reading xx**

* * *

"Are you coming Alex?" Eve asked, paused in the doorway of CID.

"Erm, no, actually, not tonight. I'll give it a miss." Alex still hadn't told Eve about her date with Gene, just in case Eve was bothered by it in any way. Inevitably, the whole team would no doubt find out sooner or later, but Alex thought it would be best to see how the date went first before she told Eve. After all, it could turn out to be a complete disaster, and knowing herself and Gene it probably would – something always seemed to ruin it just when they were getting on.

"Oh right, okay," Eve smiled. "Not feeling well?"

"I'm just.. tired, that's all," Alex returned the smile. "I'll see you in the morning though."

"Yeah, see you tomorrow," Eve said as she left CID.

"Night Drake," Ray mumbled on his way past Alex's desk. Alex failed to respond, temporarily shocked that Ray had acknowledged her presence for the first time that day. "…Night," she replied, as the door banged shut. Gene had been watching them all leave from his office, but Alex hadn't left. She hadn't forgotten about the date had she? Or was he just overreacting? He'd even gone out of his way to book somewhere 'posh' instead of Luigi's, presuming it would be more up Alex's street. It would be just like him to blow it now.

"Guv?" Alex stood in front of his desk, squeezed into tight jeans showing off her curves, always managing to distract Gene from coherent thought or speech.

"Yes Bolls?"

"I was, erm, just checking that you were still up for tonight?"

Gene sniffed, gazing at his Scotch glass in his hands. "Why, don't you wanna go?"

"No, no, I didn't mean that, of course." Alex paused. "I better go and get ready."

"Something slutty?" Gene asked, looking up towards Alex.

"You wish," Alex replied, raising an eyebrow before turning and leaving the office.

Not that it mattered – she'd look good in anything she wore anyway, Gene thought to himself.

* * *

Eve turned, hearing footsteps echo behind her in the corridor. "You alright Ray?"

"Yeah, yeah I'm good. You going Luigi's now?"

"Erm, no, I don't think so. Chris and Shaz have disappeared, Alex isn't going.. I might just go home."

"But it's a Friday.."

"It's only one night. Unless you're going?"

"Well, we could go somewhere else if you don't want to go home. Pub or somethin'?"

Eve smiled. "Why not?" holding out the door to Ray as they left the station.

"You really should stop smoking though Ray," wafting a plume of cigarette smoke out of her face as she spoke.

"Nah, I'll be alright."

"Oh yeah, sorry, of course, smoking can't harm you can it Ray, you're invincible aren't you," Eve said, smiling.

"I know, like Superman me."

"Yeah, you wish," Eve said as she gave him a withering glance. "Where are we going anyway?"

"Well, I think there's a pub not too far from here, I sort of know the way."

"That means we're going to get lost doesn't it?"

"No," Ray replied, rolling his eyes at Eve. "Do you have no faith in me whatsoever?"

"Not particularly, no," she said, still smiling. Most of their time together in Manchester had been spent like this, making idle banter and finding ways to wind each other up.

"Bloody hell, Ray, where are you taking us?"

"What's up now?"

"Well, if you weren't a copper, I'd be getting suspicious. We're in the middle of nowhere."

"It's the canal. It cuts round the edge of town and part way down is the pub."

"Still don't trust you."

"Oh shut up."

"Bet you really missed me when you moved down here didn't you?" Eve said to Ray, joking, knowing that they often disagreed and argued back in Manchester. However, they had managed to form a kind of friendship between them, and a mutual respect, but it hadn't been formed easily.

"I bloody did not, was glad to get away from you."

"You stroke your 'tache when you lie Ray."

"Do not."

"See, there you go again."

"Knew I should have gone home on me own."

"If I'm not mistaken, it was you that invited me."

"Should have asked the Guv instead."

"Wouldn't have done much good, him and Alex are going out tonight."

"Are they?"

"Well, neither of them said they were, but it's pretty obvious. Alex stayed behind after work saying she wanted to go home, but didn't leave. This morning she came out of his office with a smile on her face, and that doesn't happen very often at all. And, Gene didn't leave with everyone else tonight."

"So? The Guv always stays behind a bit."

"Ray, I know him pretty well. He didn't even come out to say anything or see where you were going. I think he was nervous."

"Nah, Guv doesn't get nervous."

"He's only human Ray. Trust me, he can. Is something going on between them?"

"I dunno. Everyone thinks it, have done since day one."

"Alex joined in '81 right?"

"Yeah, couple of months after we moved down."

Eve looked slightly crestfallen. Didn't take him long to move on then, she thought to herself.

"Can't imagine 'em getting together though, they argue enough as it is."

"They practically are together. Two people with a relationship like that can only last so long before they get together. It's inevitable."

"You think so? I mean, it's only us that thinks it because we've known 'em a while."

"Ray, you'd have to be blind and deaf not to think that they had something going on."

"Hmm. Still can't imagine the Guv shacked up with a bird like that."

"Well, I didn't mean that, I just meant that something will happen between them sooner or later. And what are you on about anyway, he was married."

"Yeah, and look how that turned out. He ended up shagging you."

"Alright Ray, we know," Eve exclaimed, exasperated.

"Just saying. What brought you down here anyway after these few years?"

"Well, they offered. And I missed it. The job didn't feel the same anymore at all, the new bunch were complete bastards and I just didn't enjoy it."

"Why didn't you come down with us lot?

"You know there was no place at the time Ray. Besides, I found out you were leaving the week before you went. I gathered I wasn't really wanted. It wouldn't have been enough time anyway. But it's alright now anyway, isn't it?"

"Well, apart from having you moaning down our necks again."

"Cheeky bastard."

"Shit, Ray."

"What?" Ray asked, whilst Eve put an arm out to stop him where he was, pointing towards the bank on the other side of the canal.

"Ray, I think… I think it's a body."

"You've gotta be bloody joking."

"In the grass, over there."

It was getting dark and their surroundings were gloomy, but the moonlight was illuminating their path slightly. The grassy banks were barely visible, but a faint outline could be made out amongst the weeds and overgrown bushes surrounding the body. "Oh my god," Eve murmured as they approached the body, crossing the bridge. "Poor girl."

"I'll get in touch with the station."

* * *

Alex was rapidly trying to quell the nauseous feeling in her stomach – any minute now she thought she was going to vomit. 'I could always tell Gene I've come down with something,' Alex thought to herself. No, she couldn't do that. She was going for dinner. Food. The thought of eating only increased her feelings of sickness; she really wasn't looking forward to it anymore. She was surprised with herself for the reaction to the date – yes, she had had feelings for Gene for a long time now but she had no idea that the prospect of being alone with him for an evening could turn her into a nervous wreck. Wasn't this the way teenagers reacted? Alex was a grown, mature woman, but she had little control over her feelings at the minute. She glanced at the clock. "Oh god,"she groaned, watching the hands tick closer to 7pm. She began trying to deep breathe to calm herself down and dispel any more nauseous feelings when she heard a knock on the door. "Oh no," she murmured. Alex began rushing round, fetching her bag, jacket and fixing herself up in the mirror. She had pulled out all the stops when getting ready, wearing her new dress which she had originally planned to wear for the party; styling her hair so her curls were more buoyant and lively than ever; wearing more make-up than usual, highlighting every feature of her face that she possibly could and wearing sky high heels to lengthen her already long legs. She didn't look bad, she thought to herself as she switched the light off and opened the door. It was obvious that Gene noticed her efforts the minute she walked out onto the landing. Alex noticed Gene swallow, and his eyebrows raised as he looked her up and down, committing every detail to memory. She knew how to make him succumb to her charms and Gene began to wonder how much effort it would take to keep his hands off her all night. That similar yearning stirred inside him as her sparkling eyes gazed up at him, making him unaware of anything or anybody else that may be in the world at that moment. Time seemed to have no meaning when he was around Alex; his only focus was on her and he had the whole night to spend with her. "

Could have made an effort Bolls," he said, smiling as he turned his back, Alex following him down the stairs.

"Don't be so cheeky," she remarked back, knowing that he was only saying it to wind her up.

* * *

**Part 2 and the date to follow!**


	7. Chapter 6: Part 2

**I doubt people are still following this but I do want to continue and Summer's coming soon so hopefully I'll get the chance!**

* * *

Neither Gene or Alex spoke whilst walking outside to the Quattro; Alex feeling too ill to open her mouth, Gene too worried about saying something that could ruin the date before it had started. It was a clear night, with stars out above them and a chill in the air. Reaching the car before Alex, Gene opened the door for her, as she pulled her jacket tight around her. "Get in Bolls before you freeze your bony arse off."

"And for a minute there I thought you might have been slightly gentlemanly," Alex replied, whilst smiling.

"What are you on about, I'm always a gentleman,"

"Hmm. Is it me or is it really cold out here tonight?" she asked whilst Gene was getting into the Quattro.

"Just you Bolls, I'm fine. Why, you ill?"

"No, no, I'm fine," Alex replied, not wanting Gene to think she needed to stay at home. "So where are we going?"

"Surprise."

"Not Luigi's then? Luigi's would have done me fine you know."

"No, not bloody Luigi's, we spend every night there."

"So?"

"Well.. I just thought... well, it's not very special is it?"

Alex smiled to herself, touched by Gene's obvious thoughtfulness.

"No, I suppose it's not."

A silence followed as neither knew what to say to each other. Alex snuggled down further into her jacket, shivering.

* * *

"Do you think it's the same bloke that killed that other bird?" Ray asked. They were stood near the body, waiting for other officers to arrive.

"Probably. Who knows. There are plenty of murderous bastards out there."

"I've got in touch with the station but Gene and Alex aren't there."

"Told you."

"But Alex.. I mean, she's alright, but she can be right mouthy when she wants to be and a posh bird - I'd never have thought she'd have gone for the Guv."

"Why not?"

"I can imagine her going with some stuck up, privately educated wanker."

"Not necessarily."

"Obviously not. I hope they're not..."

"Ray, don't even go there."

"I'm only saying there are places I'd much rather be."

"Well, me too, but unfortunately we're stuck here."

"Could always liven things up."

"Oh for god's sake Ray. Is that all you think about?"

"Not always."

Police sirens wailed close by, and cars began arriving within a couple of minutes. Forensics gathered around the body and began their work, occassionally lifting their heads to talk to the officers. One walked over to Ray and Eve, taking his gloves off, arm outstretched to shake hands with the pair.

"Good evening, I'm Andrew. When did you two come across the body?"

"About 20 minutes ago wasn't it?" replied Eve, directing her question at Ray.

"Erm yeah, not much longer than that anyway."

"We think that the girl was only killed within the past couple of hours at the most."

"You're joking?" exclaimed Eve, shocked that they may have come so close to the killer.

"I'm afraid not. Although this is quite good for us - we'll be able to gather much more evidence than we could with the other body. Is DCI Hunt around?"

"We can't get in touch with him, but hopefully we'll be able to before the evening ends."

"Okay, well we've still got quite a bit of work to do here, so feel free to wait around if you like."

"Okay, thanks," Ray replied as Andrew turned away.

"Bloody scum," Ray moaned. "We were so close an' all. The Guv won't be happy when he finds out. And if it's the same bloke then anyone could be next."

"We don't know that, it could just be coincidental. Although I admit, that's pretty unlikely, but the thought of a serial killer out there is scary."

"Yeah like that one up in Manchester in..."

"Hmm, let's not dwell on it," Eve interrupted. "Maybe we should go back to the station, try and do something useful."

"Alright," Ray agreed, as they turned back to the bridge.

* * *

"Bolls? Bolly.."

"What?" Alex mumbled as she woke from her doze.

"Sorry to wake you Bolls, but we're here."

"Oh right, sorry, I didn't even realise I'd gone to sleep."

"Well thankfully you don't snore."

"Good," Alex smiled, sitting up and opening the door.

"Wow, Gene," she said whilst noticing the restaurant for the first time. "You didn't have to come here!" Gene had brought her to a new, very modern and very expensive Italian restaurant, one she had mentioned opening only a few days before.

"Well, I knew you liked pasta.. you do like pasta don't you?"

"Yes I do, I love it," she replied, smiling at Gene as she took his arm whilst they walked inside.


	8. Chapter 7

**Hello, if anybody's there. I realise it's been a RIDICULOUSLY long time since I updated this and I'm not expecting anybody to still be following, but I'm carrying on with this for my own sake really. There are still plot points that I want to write and I will finish this story, one day. Most of this is set in 70s Manchester, as for some reason, I find it much easier to write so I hope it's not too much of a diversion from the 80s atmosphere. If anybody is still out there reading this, you're fab and thank you.**

* * *

Back at the station, Eve and Ray headed back into CID. Eve made for the kitchen, switching the lights on as she went. She flicked the kettle on and picked a mug from the cupboard. She would never let on to Ray but the night's events had left her shaken. To think that the killer could have been so close was frightening. She hadn't expected the event to have such a personal effect on her, but at least she was back at the station now. She didn't fancy going back to an empty flat. Pushing the thoughts to the back of her mind, she poured the boiling water into the cup and searched through the cupboards for tea bags and sugar. "Ray?" she called, expecting him to be in the main CID room. She started when he replied from the door of the kitchen. "Yeah?" he asked, walking up to her. "Blimey, you alright?" he asked.  
"Yeah, I'm fine," she mumbled, brushing the hair away from her eyes and fumbling with the spoon.  
"Give it 'ere," he said, taking the spoon from her hands and starting to make the tea. "Are you sure you're alright?" he asked again, looking at her closely. He was surprised to see small teardrops falling from her eyes and coursing down her cheek. "Come 'ere," he said, putting the spoon down and taking her in his arms. For once, she gave in and began to sob.  
"I'm sorry," she murmured, barely audible. "I'm sorry, I'm being stupid."  
"No you're not," he replied. "'Ere," he said, reaching over to take a tissue from the sideboard and giving it to her.  
"Thanks," she stuttered, her voice recovering from her sobs. "I don't know why I'm acting like this. I was fine before and all during the case, but then I got down there and saw the girl and… it's only just hit me."  
"Come and sit down," he said, taking her arm and leading her towards one of the desks. She sat down and he placed the cup of tea in front of her. She sat with her head bowed, the tissue still scrunched in her fist. Ray thought that she had only ever once looked more vulnerable.

* * *

_**Manchester, 1978**_

_CID was quiet. It was still early morning and few were in. Eve was sat at her desk, watching Gene in his office. He still looked sleepy and rather sexy, she thought to herself. She was desperate to go in there and kiss him but she knew that others would be coming in soon and public displays of affection weren't advisable, considering that many of CID knew Gene's wife. Instead, she took to sorting her paperwork into piles. They were working on a large case, but with no recent leads, all of their avenues of information seemed to be drying up. They were almost back where they started and it was looking like the case would go unsolved. "Morning," Sam said, smiling as he walked past. "Hi," she replied, still sorting her files. "Something wrong?" he asked, stopping beside her. "No, I'm fine," she replied. She paused before continuing. "You know when you're working on a case and you just feel completely useless? Everybody is looking to you for answers, and you just don't have any and no matter how hard you try, nothing changes. If we can't solve it, then who can?" she said, looking up. "We all feel like that sometimes. But if we give up, there's no chance is there?" he reasoned.  
"I know but… no, you're right," she replied. "I'll go and ask Gene what he thinks we should be doing." She stood up and headed towards his office, smiling at Sam as she walked past him. She walked into Gene's office without knocking, as she always did. "Morning," she said. He was stood, facing away from the door. As he heard her speak, he turned around to face her, before sinking into his chair. "You alright?" she asked. Up close, he had bags under his eye, his hair was ruffled and there was stubble on his face. He looked like he hadn't slept a wink. "Gene?" she asked again, trying to get an answer from him.  
"Missus kept asking where I'd been last night. Thinks there's something goin' on. Made me sleep on the sofa because she didn't believe what I told her. Not to mention that this bloody case is goin' nowhere and some murdering scumbag is wandering these streets a free man. We've got nothin' to go on and no one in there is even making an effort. And my neck's sore from that bloody sofa."  
Eve walked around the desk to the back of Gene's chair. She began to massage his neck and shoulders, trying to relieve some of the tension. "I'm sorry, it's my fault. I shouldn't have kept you back so late…"  
"Don't apologise," he said, cutting her off. "You know that I wanted to stay."  
"Well, alright. Maybe we should just spend less time together if she's getting suspicious."  
"Let her find out if she wants."  
Eve stopped massaging his neck momentarily. "You don't mean that," she replied.  
"I do."  
Eve resumed her massaging. She decided to move away from that topic of conversation – it always ended in some form of disagreement and now wasn't the time to not be getting on.  
"And about the case… you'll get there in the end, you always do." Eve had unwavering faith in Gene. She fully believed what she was saying, even though she was also finding it hard to see how they would progress with the current case. By now, the rest of the team had filtered in; many slouched at their desks with cups of coffee, attempting to wake themselves up.  
"Better get movin," Gene said, rising from his seat. "Sorry for being a moody bugger," he said to Eve, kissing her on the mouth before a knock on the door interrupted them.  
"Alright Sammy boy?" he said, turning around.  
"Yeah, Guv, there's something in the post for Eve."  
"For me?" she asked, coming forward. She frowned with confusion. "Why's it addressed to here?"  
"I don't know. We haven't opened it," Sam replied. He handed it over to her. She took it and opened it, unfolding the piece of paper that lay within. As her eyes looked down the page, she visibly paled and dropped the envelope that was in her other hand. "Gene…" she said, her voice barely a whisper. "What? Eve, what is it?" he replied, striding over to where she stood. He stood at her side, scanning the page as she had done. "The bastards," he said, enraged. "The bloody scumbag, murdering bastards." By now, the whole of CID had stopped to listen to what was going on.  
"Guv?" Sam asked cautiously. "What's going on"?  
Gene took the sheet of paper from Eve's shaking hands and passed it over to Sam.  
"Same bloke?" he suggested to Sam.  
As Sam took the sheet from Gene's hands he too scanned its contents. Stuck to the page, in letters taken from various publications, were the words 'You're next.' They had only been working on one significant case over the past few weeks, and that was the kidnapping, rape and murder of a young girl. The message was clear. Eve was the next intended victim.  
"Looks like it," Sam replied. "I'll stick this in an evidence bag." Sam briskly walked out of the office, taking the letter with him. As soon as he had gone, Gene took the now sobbing Eve in his arms. "Don't worry," he said, his previous harsh tones reduced to the soft, warm voice of comfort. "Nobody is gonna hurt you Eve, I won't let 'em. We'll catch whoever did this and put 'em behind bars. You're safe 'ere, with us."  
"Why me Gene?" she managed to break out between sobs.  
"I don't know love," he replied. "But nothin's gonna happen to you while I'm here."  
He pulled back from her and planted a kiss on her forehead.  
"We better tell the team," he said, as he looked out at CID. They were trying to look busy, but most were still trying to listen intently to what was going on. Spotting Annie, he called to her.  
"Guv?" she replied, looking up hesitantly.  
"Er, can you come 'ere?" he asked, nodding his head towards the inside of his office.  
She did as asked and cautiously entered the office. She didn't feel entirely comfortable in there, as it was part of CID that she rarely frequented. Spotting Eve, her demeanour soon changed to one of concern and immediately rushed to put her arms around her. "What's wrong?" she asked tenderly. With that, Eve broke down again. She was terrified and for once, she couldn't hold up a façade. "Do you mind taking her down to the canteen for a bit Annie? I'll explain later," Gene said to her. Annie ushered Eve out of the office, her arms around her. Gene followed, stopping in front of the rest of the team. Noticing Gene's presence, they all stopped what they were doing and looked up, waiting.  
"Right, you lot." His announcement was lacking its usual fervour. "As you nosy buggers probably noticed, a member of our team received a letter today. It was a threat. It looks like it's from the same bastard who killed that other poor girl. I'll keep you up to date as soon as we find out anything more, which I admit isn't looking very likely, but we are not giving up until whoever did this is caught. Chase up any leads that we had, go back over them, we might have missed something, anything. Get to work." There was an unusual silence in the room. They had all seen who had received the letter and knew what sort of threat she was under. Now that a member of their team was personally involved, there was a determined air in the room to find out anything they could that might lead them to the killer. Gene strode out of the room, closely followed by Ray. "Guv… Guv?" he called after him.  
"What?" Gene asked, turning round to face Ray.  
"How is she?" he asked.  
"How do you think?" he replied. "Some maniac's after her, she's not exactly gonna be over the moon is she?"  
"Well, no. And, erm… you alright Guv?"  
"Don't push it Ray," he replied, before turning around and continuing to walk in the direction he had been heading. He knew it was unusual for Ray to act concerned, but he had too much on his mind to appreciate it._

_Meanwhile, in the canteen, Annie had managed to stop Eve from crying._  
_"You alright now?" Annie asked, trying to smile._  
_Eve looked up to face Annie. Her make-up was streaked down her face, and her usual perfect hair was messy from running her hands through it. "What's going to happen to me Annie?" she said. She was sniffing and she still had a lump in her throat. Annie looked back at her; there were lines where tears had rolled down her face and more threatened to spill from her watery eyes. "As long as you're with the Guv, nothing's going to happen to you. You've got us; you don't have to be on your own." She took Eve's hands in hers and gave her an encouraging smile._  
_"I'm scared Annie," Eve said, as another solitary tear rolled down her cheek._  
_"I know you are, but the Guv will soon have this sorted," Annie replied._  
_"I hope so," Eve replied, worn out already. She could feel the dull pounding of a headache starting at the base of her skull. She rubbed the back of her neck and sighed._  
_"Speak of the devil," Annie said, looking up as the door to the canteen opened. "I'll leave you to it," she said, getting up as Gene came and sat down where she'd been._  
_"Thanks Annie," he said as she walked past him. She gave a small smile as she left._  
_"We will catch this bastard, if it's the last thing I do. You know that," Gene said to Eve._  
_"What if you can't Gene? We have no idea who it might be. What if they're waiting when I get home tonight or…"_  
_"You seriously think I'm gonna let you go home by yourself?" he said, interrupting her. "'Cos if you do, you've got another think coming."_  
_"You can't be there all the time," she replied._  
_"You wanna bet?" he said, fixing her eyes with his. She felt calmer when she looked into his ocean-blue eyes and reached for his hand across the table. "Thank you," she said, her eyes brimming with tears again._  
_"Are you coming back or…?"_  
_"Yeah," she said, standing up. "Better pull myself together." She smiled a little. They left the canteen and headed back towards the main CID. Phyllis was heading down the corridor towards them. "Sam's looking for you Guv. Are you alright love?" she asked Eve._  
_"Yeah. Yeah, I'll be alright," she replied. She brushed the remaining tears from her eyes and smiled unconvincingly._  
_"You need a good strong cuppa. And don't go doing any work, leave them lot to that," Phyllis said, motioning towards CID._  
_"I'll try," Eve replied._  
_"See you later love," Phyllis said, touching Eve on the shoulder before she continued down the corridor back to her desk._  
_Sam approached Gene as him and Eve returned to CID. "Guv, I've been thinking about what we can do."_  
_They continued on to Gene's office, where they shut the door. Sam continued._  
_"I don't think you're going to like this but…"_  
_"Oh great. Whenever you say that, you're right, I usually don't like it. But, go on."_  
_"This could lead us directly to our killer. All we have to do is arrange an event that will persuade them to approach Eve and…"_  
_"Forget it."_  
_"It's the best chance we've got Guv…"_  
_"No. We are not putting her in danger, you understand? Besides, they're bound to know that we'll be watching her 24/7. They can't be that stupid can they?"_  
_"Well, I dunno, they've gone this far."_  
_"I don't like it Sam."_  
_"I am here you know," Eve said. "Surely my opinion counts?" They both stopped to turn and look at her._  
_"I partly agree with Gene, I mean, they must know that there's little chance of getting near me now they've threatened me, but if they weren't going to attempt to go any further, why send the letter? But I don't fancy being left alone long enough to risk anything happening."_  
_"Well, don't worry, that isn't gonna happen," Gene replied._  
_"Well we've got to do something," Sam said, tension evident in his voice. "We'll have to go back over the files, see if there's any clue as to how he might approach you." He was looking over at Eve now, puzzled as to how to go about this. Sam was aware of the situation between Gene and Eve and knew that Gene was going to be extremely protective of her, but he also knew that if Eve thought her involvement could help to catch their murderer, then she was likely to try and help._  
_"I still don't like it…"_  
_"What else can we do Gene? This is the one chance we have. Do you think I want to put a senior officer at risk? If this was Annie, you wouldn't be thinking the same…"_  
_"Don't you dare…"_  
_"You know that your personal involvement is overriding your logic as a copper right now Gene. We can do this safely, we can make sure that she isn't harmed. We just have to think it through carefully."_  
_"And you know how badly this could go wrong," Gene replied, glaring at Sam._  
_"Well it's never going to work if you can't stop arguing, is it?" Eve said to both of them, her strength returning slightly. "You need to work as a team or yes, you're right, something will go wrong."_  
_"I'll be back in a bit, I need to think," Sam said, leaving the office and going to sit at his desk._  
_"You've got to trust Sam, Gene. You know he's a good copper..."_  
_"And I'm his DCI. What I say goes."_  
_"You can be so stubborn sometimes…"_  
_"I'm trying to protect you."_  
_"I know, and I appreciate that more than I can say but don't let it cloud your judgement." She walked over to him and took his hand. "And, really, thank you Gene. Sometimes I don't know what I'd do without you."_  
_"Well, can't blame you there. I am the Gene Genie after all."_  
_Eve smiled and looked out of the office towards Sam's desk._  
_"Right, rather than standing around crying or arguing, we should probably go and work something out, hadn't we?"_  
_"Are you sure you're up to this?" Gene replied, concern etched into his face._  
_"Well, we'll see," Eve said. She was still pale and she hadn't had chance to re-apply her make-up. "But sitting around waiting isn't going to achieve anything is it?"_  
_"'Spose not. Right, come on then, better see what Sammy boy's up to."_

* * *

**London, 1983**

"Eve?" Ray said, trying to catch her attention.  
"What? Sorry?" she replied.  
"Were you listening to what I just said?"  
"Erm, no, sorry. I was erm…" She hesitated, not sure whether to actually tell Ray what she had been thinking about or not. "I was thinking of what happened in Manchester with that…"  
"I thought you might have been," he replied. "That was ages ago now though, you don't need to worry about this."  
"I know, it just brought back memories, that's all."  
"Hmm, well Chris and Shaz are comin' in. They were at Luigi's but Alex and Gene aren't there. She's not in her flat either."  
"Gene's going to be annoyed that he's missed this."  
"I know, we'll just have to try and find out where they've gone."  
Eve took a sip of her tea. "Eurgh," she exclaimed, spitting it back out. "It's gone cold. Hate it when that happens." She took it into the kitchen and poured it down the sink. Rather than making another, she settled for a packet of biscuits. She took them and sat back down.  
"You alright now?" Ray asked.  
"Yeah, much better. I don't think of it as much anymore but occasionally I'm reminded of it. Anyway, there are more important things to focus on at the minute," she said. She opened the packet of biscuits and took one.  
"Garibaldi?" she asked, handing the packet out to Ray. _  
_


End file.
